Return to Paradise Review
by "Yen, Homer" (YenHo AT cof DOT org)August 26th, 1998
A Bittersweet "Return to Paradise"
by Homer Yen
(c) 1998
How much would you be willing to sacrifice for someone that you hardly knew? For my family and closest of friends, I'm sure that I'd sacrifice everything I could to help them. But I'm not so sure that I could say the same if the person in question was just some casual acquaintance.
Sheriff (Vince Vaughn) and Tony (David Conrad) are faced with that same moral dilemma. Two years ago, these two and Lou (Joaqin Phoenix) met as vacationers in Malaysia. They spent their days and nights picking up as many women as possible, drinking as much beer as possible, and smoking as much hashish as possible since it's so easy to buy and inexpensive too. A few days after Sheriff and Tony left, the police raided the bungalow and found Lou and all of the leftover hashish. Because of the excessive amounts found, Lou was charged with trafficking, which carries a sentence of death.
Sheriff and Tony find out about this after they are located by Lou's attorney, Beth (Anne Heche). With only 8 days left until Lou's execution, Beth explains to them that she has struck a deal with the Malaysian magistrate. If one or both goes back to share the responsibility and serve jail time, Lou's life will be spared. Tony has a beautiful fiancée, a promising life, and a heart of gold. He tentatively agrees to go back if Sheriff will too. However, the burly Sheriff who has always been reckless and careless can not find it within him to go back. And both voice extreme reservations about their chances of survival given that the prison system is fraught with disease, malnutrition, and guards that randomly torture the inmates. With time running out, Beth must find a way to change their minds.
Beth's task is enormous. She delicately walks a fine line between promoting the courage behind the deed and moral blackmail. All the while, she is also being hounded by a hungry reporter that threatens the stability of her deal. I liked Heche's performance. She remained focused and I liked the way her character tried to read every emotion in order to figure out the next mode of approach. She's sincere but also scheming at the same time. Another nice element was the questionable attraction that Heche develops for Sheriff. Is this just one of her plays? Already in a situation mired with ambiguity, this further complicates Sheriff's life as the loner slowly learns the meaning of compassion.
Despite the good performances and the pungent atmosphere, I somehow wished that this film would have been more compelling. As pure drama, this film delivers, but my reservation lies within the fact that the storyline was too cerebral in nature. I would have preferred something more visceral. I would have liked a closer examination of the Malaysian government's view on drug trafficking or would have liked to have seen the brutal environment of the prisons. I think that with that added sensation, this movie might have been more memorable. Nonetheless, Heche's worthy performance and good supporting roles merit a
recommendation.
Grade: B-
More on 'Return to Paradise'...
Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
